Loyalty
by Gelles
Summary: And you thought they only talked about boys during their sleepovers...


Loyalty  
  
A Sailormoon fanfic by Kristin Renee Taylor  
  
Usagi was asleep. A strange fact to point out, but it was the way she  
slept that made it so interesting.  
  
She was sleeping on my arm.  
  
She had caught me completely by surprise. One minute I was  
stretching, and considering trying to pry the popcorn bowl from  
Minako's grasp, the next my left arm was weighed down by a couple of  
kilos of blonde hair.  
  
"Usagi." I kept my voice low, so I wouldn't distract everybody  
else from the movie. "Usagi, wake up."  
  
Usagi shifted, mumbled something drowsily, and snuggled closer to  
me. I was glad the only light came from Makoto's television, otherwise  
the others might've gotten some ecchi ideas. I looked around,  
determined to force someone into helping me pry her off, but Minako,  
stretched out on the floor, was out like a light, one arm folded  
beneath her as a pillow, the other still curled protectively around  
the bowl of cold popcorn. Ami, sitting on my right, had also fallen  
asleep, head lolling back in a position that would almost certainly  
guarantee a neck cramp. Of Makoto, there was no sign, which surprised  
me. I didn't remember seeing her get up and leave.  
  
Alone in my dilemma, I tried again, this time trying to tug my arm  
free of Usagi's grasp. "C'mon, Usagi, *move!*" I didn't think it was  
possible for someone asleep to hold onto anything as tightly as Usagi  
held my arm. My fingers were beginning to tingle as the circulation  
began to slow.  
  
I sighed faintly. "I think the gods must've sent you to me as  
punishment, although I don't know what for." Then I smiled, "But I  
have to admit, you're the best punishment I've ever had." I leaned  
down, kissed her hair. "Usagi-chan no baka."  
  
As if she had been waiting for that cue, she released my arm,  
sprawling across her seat, the armrest, and most of my lap. Annoyed,  
I pushed her legs off and stood, ignoring her muttered protests. A  
moment later she had re-arranged her limbs so she was stretched out  
across the couch, using Ami's lap as a pillow. Ami didn't even wake  
up.  
  
I shook my head, and sought out the errant Senshi of Thunder.  
  
Makoto's room was simple, even bordering on the spartan side of  
things. Outside of her futon and dresser, the only things that  
decorated the room was a veritable jungle of potted plants. But that  
was Makoto for you, a simple person with simple pleasures.  
  
Makoto sat on the ground near her door, back braced against the  
wall, arms wrapped around a pillow, in deep contemplation of the moon  
outside her window, which I couldn't see because of my angle. She  
looked up at me as I entered. "You're still awake? I'm surprised,  
Rei-chan. I thought you were out like the others."  
  
I took her words as an invitation, and sat down across from her,  
on her futon, where the moonlight illuminated her fully and left me  
in shadows. "I think the only part of me that fell asleep was my arm.  
Usagi has a killer grip." I flexed my arm for emphasis.  
  
Makoto smiled, but her attention was distant.  
  
I studied her briefly. "A yen for your thoughts?"  
  
She glanced at me, hesitated. "Rei-chan... do you enjoy being a  
Senshi?"  
  
It wasn't the question itself that surprised me, but the person  
asking it. I gave Makoto a longer look. "Do you?"  
  
Makoto shrugged. "I'm not sure. I mean, I do like being a Senshi,  
but I don't know if I enjoy it." She frowned. "Did that make sense?"  
  
"Of course it did."  
  
Makoto stared down at the pillow. "It's been bothering me a long  
time, Rei-chan. None of us really got a choice about whether or not  
to become Senshi. One day I was living my own life. Then next thing I  
know I'm a human spark plug. Nobody asked me if I wanted to risk my  
life every week. Nobody ever clued me in that once I picked up that  
stick Luna threw at me, I'd be locked in Hell's spin cycle for the  
rest of my life."  
  
Watching her, I said, "You don't want to be a Senshi anymore?"  
  
"Hell, no!" she said fiercely, glaring up at me. "There's no way  
I'd give up being Jupiter."  
  
I thought for a moment, then said. "If you could rewind time, would  
you still become a Senshi?"  
  
She shook her head. "Yes. Of course I would. Sailor Jupiter is  
what I am, it's who I was born to be. Before then, I felt incomplete.  
Now... because of you and the others, I'm finally whole. I belong  
somewhere."  
  
"Then what's the problem?"  
  
Makoto ran a hand through her hair, a sure sign of frustration. "I  
don't know," she said softly.  
  
I stood and walked to the door. "Come with me."  
  
Makoto stood, puzzled, but followed me as I lead her back to the  
living room.  
  
Since I had left, Usagi had somehow forced Ami off the couch, and  
was snoring lustily as she lay on her back. Ami had moved to the  
floor, her back against the couch, her head against one of Usagi's  
more stationery arms. As far as I could tell, Minako hadn't moved an  
inch, save for tipping over the bowl, bits of savory buttered popcorn  
kernels decorated her hair.  
  
I stopped in the archway and pointed to Usagi. "Look."  
  
Makoto stood next to me. Perplexed, she asked, "What?"  
  
"That," and I gestured to Usagi, "is the most annoying person that  
this universe has ever created. Statistically speaking, with the way  
she acts she should be dead four thousand times over, and that's just  
from choking to death while eating." A familiar gleam appeared in  
Makoto's eyes, and I grinned. "However," I said, stopping whatever she  
had been about to say, "You have to admit that, if it wasn't for her,  
then the rest of us probably wouldn't be around." Especially Minako, I  
thought, glancing at the second blonde.  
  
"We're not Senshi because we want to be. Hells, if I had a choice,  
I probably *wouldn't* be a Senshi." That earned me a surprised look,  
which I carefully ignored. "But now that I am one, I wouldn't give it  
up for the world.  
  
"Do I enjoy it? No. I don't enjoy it because I can't fight every  
battle for her and win. Eventually I, and the rest of us, *will* lose  
and she'll be on her own. *That's* the part of being a Senshi that I  
don't enjoy: knowing that I can't protect her from every little thing  
that comes her way. And frankly, Mako-chan, that knowledge scares me."  
  
"But its our job to protect her. And, so long as she needs us, I'll  
always be there for her." I looked at her askance. "Did I answer your  
question?"  
  
"I'm not even sure I had a question... but thank you, Rei-chan."  
She smiled at me.  
  
I nodded and stretched. "Good. Then I'm going to bed. It is way too  
late to be waxing philosophical like this."  
  
  
Fin.  
  
  
  
Author's Notes:  
Okay, so I wrote this in half an hour, because I left the disk that  
had Chapter 10 of Life's Lessons at home, so I can't upload it like I  
meant to. But I had to give you guys something. :)  
  
The story takes place just before the big Beryl battle (Episodes 44 &  
45). Remembering that Rei *is* psychic, it leaves all sorts of  
theories about how she acted during those two episodes. (And if you  
think Rei's actions were suspicious, check out Minako right before  
they teleport. Ten bucks that Minako *knew* they were going to get  
their butts kicked up there. She isn't the most mature, experienced  
Senshi for nothing... but that's another fanfic for another time.)  
  
As always, I want to thank Naoko Takeuchi-sama for creating such a  
wonderful show, and for putting up with the veritable flood of  
fanfiction that followed. I don't own the Senshi. I just make them  
more insightful. :)  
  
Comments, Criticisms, Flames, and recipes for soup are always greatly  
appreciated.  



End file.
